The present invention relates generally to an accessory attachment for lawnmowers. More specifically, the present invention relates to a lawn aerator apparatus for aerating a lawn during the lawn mowing process.
In the field of lawnmowers, it has been well-known for a lawnmower, either a push-type or a ride-on type, to be stored in the user's garage between uses. Typically, the lawnmower is used solely for the purpose of cutting the grass of one's lawn. In addition to cutting the lawn, various other operations are done to the lawn to maintain it. For example, weed killer and fertilizer must be applied. A lawn is commonly aerated prior to seeding to maximize the results of the planting process. Typically, the lawn aeration process requires a separate step from the actual lawn mowing or cutting process. As a result, multiple passes over the same lawn is required with different pieces of equipment.
Various attempts in the prior art have been made to enable the lawn aeration process and the lawn cutting process to be carried out simultaneously. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,730,856, issued to Mekalainas, discloses an aerator apparatus for lawnmowers which is affixed to the outer face of the lawnmower wheels. The aerator apparatus includes a number of teeth which penetrate the ground while the lawn is being cut. The aerator attachment of Mekalainas must be completely removed from the lawnmower prior to pushing it onto a non-lawn surface, such as a driveway, to avoid damage thereto. Since this aerator attachment cannot be easily removed, the use of such an attachment is extremely cumbersome and laborious to use, particularly if it is employed on a standard power mower with four wheels.
In addition, U.S. Pat. No. 4,589,252, issued to Williams, discloses a steep terrain stabilizing device for lawnmowers which attaches to the wheels on the side of the mower facing down hill. The stabilizing devices provide a number of teeth for assisting the lawnmower in gripping the ground during lawn mowing on a steep terrain. Such stabilizing devices must be completely removed after use to avoid damage to one's driveway and the like.
To avoid having to remove the complete stabilizing device between uses, attempts have been made to provide turf penetrating members which are capable of retracting. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,700,926, issued to Goit, and British patent No. 641,179 disclose wheels or drums which are designed to be pushed over a lawn whereby its retractable members penetrate the lawn for aeration thereof. The members can be retracted so the wheel does not damage driveways, and the like. Due to the cumbersome nature and specialized use of the inventions disclosed in the foregoing two patents, these devices cannot be easily incorporated into a standard lawnmower to enable one to cut and aerate one's lawn at the same time.
Since there is a desire to simultaneously cut and aerate one's lawn to save time as well as avoid damage to one's non-lawn property, there is a demand for an aerator apparatus which can be easily affixed to the wheels of a lawnmower where the blades of the aerator apparatus are quickly and easily retractable to permit the user to transport the lawnmower off the lawn without incurring damage to other property.
It is also desirable to provide an apparatus which includes retractable turf penetrating members which are also adjustable to control the degree and depth of aeration to the lawn. It is also desirable that fewer moving parts be included in the aerator apparatus to reduce overall cost and manufacture and to ensure long wear-life to the apparatus.